When I’m mixing in the juke realm, Slick Shoota is a go-to producer. Some of his superb tracks have been in my sets lately, opening for Bok Bok in Seattle and in my upcoming set for the Decibel Festival Hyperdub Records Showcase. I now have a couple more tracks to add to my Slick arsenal. Make em’ yours.
Slick Shoota – Facebook Twitter Soundcloud
– Jimi Jaxon
Decibel Festival celebrates its 10 year anniversary next week, and I’m putting the spotlight on a few artists and showcases. When I first found out that a Hyperdub Records Showcase was happening (9/25 @ The Crocodile, All-Ages, 21+ Bar), I lost it. I felt confident it would be one of the best ones to experience at dBx. Seattle is quite blessed to have the hugely influential Hyperdub Records, with label boss, Kode9. Real name Steve Goodman started Hyperdub in 2004, innovating with releases from Burial, Zomby, King Midas Sound, Ikonika and more recently DJ Rashad, Laurel Halo and a personal new favorite of mine, Walton. Styles include Dubstep, 2-Step, Grime, Funky, Juke, Techno, House and Future Bass. Basically, Hyperdub covers a lot of ground with its mutated rhythms, and the music can often times have a darker perspective.
In a detailed conversation with Red Bull Music Academy, Kode9 understands that “the DJ has this kind of shamanistic role, a circuit bender, mediating between an abstract and a physical realm.” Last year, I traveled with Decibel Festival founder and curator Sean Horton to Vancouver, Canada for New Forms Festival. One of the main acts of 2012 was Kode9 and his DJ set was one of the best I’ve ever seen. Knowing that Goodman is a professor, with a Ph.D in philosophy, his New Forms performance felt like an education of dance music. Almost every strain of rhythm currently at work in the dance world seemed to be in his set, effortlessly strung together. It had so much raw energy, demanding movement and engagement with the audience.
I enjoy the imagination in Ikonika‘s music. Her newest album Aerotropolis on Hyperdub is an adventure, invoking feelings of the past and future, fantasy and reality. Those who appreciate house music, video games, sci-fi or the 80’s will find something to love in Ikonika’s sound. If you’re about to see her at Decibel Festival, I like knowing that she connects a club to a church, believing “It’s a place to meditate, it’s a place to find something new, it’s a place to remember something. (Quietus Interview)”
In addition to her work with Hyperdub she runs the Hum + Buzz label with Optimum.
Come to The Crocodile on Wednesday, September 25th, 2013 and experience the Hyperdub Records Showcase. I will be opening the night with a 9-10pm DJ set. Visuals by Zach Walker.
Hyperdub – Facebook Twitter Soundcloud
– Jimi Jaxon
Lately, I’m either thinking about Machinedrum or talking about his music at least once a day. I am buzzing over his new productions, which only add to my sheer amazement of this artist. The amount of ideas and fresh vision coming out of Travis Stewart is so huge. Some don’t fully understand everything he offers to the world.
This “Eyesdontlie” video astounded my friends and I. What resembles those Roller Coaster Simulator rides carries you through a district of Vapor City. The environment becomes increasingly trippy, kinky and colorful, eventually fading into nothing.
In this interview with The Creators Project, Machinedrum talks about the dreams that inspired this new album on Ninja Tune..
“I would kind of be transferred to this same city in my dreams where it felt familiar, even though I knew I’d never been there. In the dream I felt like I knew all the places, I kept seeing the same streets, the same shops and clubs. Same amusement parks and weird little details that I kept noticing were recurring and it really started to freak me out that this kept happening—and it was also happening the first half of the year that I lived in Berlin.
So it started to form this sort of combination architecturally between New York and a bit of Berlin. A sort of old-meets-new sort of architecture. But it was very vast. And I could almost, in the dream, sort of zoom in and see the city for what it was, and kind of get an idea of where I was in the city. But it was crazy that I kept having this dream and it started fading out as I was living in Berlin but I thought it was definitely something I should explore more creatively, there was definitely a reason I was having this dream.”
When you make it out to Decibel Festival 2013 next month, make sure you experience the world debut of Vapor City Live on Friday, September 27th @ Showbox Market. It’s a part of the What The Festival Showcase with additional performances from XXYYXX, Giraffage and Timeboy (visuals by Zach Walker).
Vapor City will be released on September 30th
Machinedrum – Twitter Facebook Soundcloud
– Jimi Jaxon
Today marks the second group of artists announced to play Decibel Festival 2013. There are some names that jump out at me, and I want to quickly share their sounds on Disco Droppings.
DJ RASHAD
KODE9
ACTRESS
NOSAJ THING
MIDLAND
JIMMY EDGAR
GOLD PANDA
JETS
Decibel Festival – Facebook Twitter
– Jimi Jaxon
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